The METAL GEAR SOLID Movie Is Still Happening and the Director Discusses Its Incredibly Tricky Adaptation
With the recent terrible adaptation of Assassin’s Creed, Hollywood proves that it still has not learned how to make a proper video game movie. As of right now, my two favorites are Silent Hill and Warcraft. I also have a soft spot for the first Resident Evil movie. But for the most part, the studios and filmmakers developing the majority of the video game films just never can get it right.
One video game property that I always thought would make a badass film is Metal Gear Solid. The film has been in development for years, and as of right now, all we know is that Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts is attached to direct, and the script is being written by Jay Basu. We haven’t had any updates on the film since 2015 with the announcement of the writer, but the director recently sat down with We Got This Covered and offered an update.
The most important thing is that the movie is still in development, and he’s not going to be dropping out of it anytime soon because it’s a project that he fought to be a part of and now that he is, he’s not giving it up. He says:
“Metal Gear is something I’ve been attached to for a long time. It’s a movie I fought tooth and nail to try and attach myself to because it is potentially the most precious property on this Earth to me. And it is one of the most tricky and idiosyncratic properties on the planet, where the creator’s voice, Hideo Kojima, is a genius.”
The director goes on to explain why the property is so tricky to adapt:
“It would also be one of the easiest properties for Hollywood to mess up. Luckily, there are very smart producers on it. It’s the type of thing where it would be very easy for Hollywood to be like, ‘Oh, it’s like Mission: Impossible!’ No, it’s not Mission: Impossible. ‘It’s like G.I. Joe!’ No, it’s not G.I. Joe. Metal Gear Solid IS Metal Gear Solid and can only be Metal Gear Solid.
“It is an incredibly tricky thing to adapt because of how specific the tone is. Kojima’s tone is so brilliant in what it does. The tone of this movie at times could take itself very seriously, be very intense, and then next moment, it can be very goofy and very sort of out there. There is no other property on the planet that I would want to protect and shepherd more than the Metal Gear Solid property.”
It’s great to hear that he actually has an understanding and respect for Kojima’s work and it’s something that he wants to perfectly capture for the film and not screw up. He then adds:
“We are working on a script and have great producers. The goal is to get the script right and do justice to a movie that is unlike anything else that exists in movies or video games or anything. It’s one of the most influential properties in my life. And I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know the creator over the last couple of years. Just to be able to spend time with him is great.”
Hearing what Vogt-Roberts had to say here upped my excitement for the possibilities of this movie. It sounds like he knows what he wants from it. He just has such a great passion and that passion can definitely rub off on fans like me.
Of course, we’ve heard other filmmakers of video game film projects say the same things and have the same passion, then leave us disappointed. I know I shouldn’t get my hopes up, but this is one of those video games that I’d love to see a great movie for.
What do you think about what Vogt-Roberts says about adapting Metal Gear Solid? Do you think he’ll be able to pull it off?